


The Stranger That Matched ((Kamukura X Nagito One Shot))

by Anuyushi



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 04:50:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20420207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anuyushi/pseuds/Anuyushi
Summary: Since birth, everyone has worn special tattoos. These tattoos are your only way to find your true soulmate. Some never find them, for those who are lucky, who find the only person in the world with a matching tattoo, well... ♚[© 2019 | @Anuyushi]♛





	The Stranger That Matched ((Kamukura X Nagito One Shot))

A brilliant glowing, bright and warm as the summer sun.   
A glowing I never thought I'd see in my life, at least, not like this.   
The scent of blood choked the air, I didn't realize I was holding my breath until my chest hurt.   
My gaze locked onto the person sitting across from me, softly panting as though they had just been running. Clothes tattered, but on their exposed skin, there was no mistaking it.   
They rose their head, locks of hair moving out of their face, allowing me to see their sharp eyes watching me with intent.   
They opened their mouth to speak, but the words didn't seem to reach me.   
How did all this happen?  
Only this morning, I was living normally...  
The autumn winds captivated my attention from beyond the classroom window. The breeze stifled through the trees with not as much as a care in the world.   
Orange leaves fluttered to the ground as delicate as feathers, the sky painted red with early sunrise.   
Just thinking about the time, I couldn't resist a yawn.   
I didn't mind coming to school early, not at all, but I couldn't deny I was still rather tired right now. A chill nipped within the classroom, making me thankful for deciding to wear my jacket today. It couldn't do anything to protect my fingers though, which were slightly numb at the current moment.   
The sudden vociferation of other students pulled me out of my thoughts, bringing my attention to within the room. What could be a ruckus so early in the morning? The class circled around one of the desks. I shouldn't have let the curiosity get the better of me, I shouldn't have had any right to enter the situation of such significant people, yet, I couldn't stop myself from standing up and making my way over. When I stood on my tip toes to look over all the heads in my way, I could see the girl sitting at her desk, eyes filled with fear as she looked down to her hand.   
"There's no way!" The redhead in front of me hissed outraged, but her anger wouldn't solve anything right now, right?  
"Did they really?" Another boy sighed. "That sucks!"  
I couldn't quite see what she was looking at until people began to move to the side, allowing me into the group. The girl was looking down at her empty palm where only a faded picture now sat, almost invisible if you weren't really looking.   
As the girl rose her dazzling pink orbs, her gaze locked onto me. "My... My soulmate died. What could have happened? I didn't even know who they were." Her voice quivered with dread.  
At that moment, I couldn't find my words. What were you supposed to say in this situation? Everyone was born with a special tattoo, and only one person in the world shares it with you. That person being your soulmate. If they died, it was unlikely you'd ever find perfect love.   
If your tattoo withers, it was because the one person in the world that was meant for you was gone. When I couldn't find my words, I turned my head to the ground. The girl didn't speak, she only closed her eyes and sat back in her chair.  
People die all the time, tattoos fade all the time, but when it happens in front of you, it almost feels unbelievable.   
There wasn't much time to mourn when the teacher entered the class. She gave a brief wave and a bright smile.   
Greeting everyone with her typical 'good mornings', she wasn't quite matched with the enthusiastic response of the energy she was giving off after what had just happened.   
Still, as everyone sat down at their respective seats again, a silence overhauled the room that was only broken by her clearing her throat.   
The teacher began speaking, starting her daily lesson and probably reading off any announcements, but I didn't find any real advantage in listening.   
I instead found myself messing with my jacket sleeve where it cloaked my own tattoo. If I really did have a soulmate out there, what were they like? Who was this one person made for me? Most people never find their soulmate, the likelihood of finding them among a world with millions of people, it just wasn't very feasible.   
My concentration moved to the now-blank girl, spacing off about as much as I was. She didn't really know him, perhaps it didn't hurt so much now that the room had calmed down.   
My tattoo suddenly began to itch and burn, and without thinking, I pulled up my sleeve to scratch. I barely had a chance to do so before I looked down. My tattoo, which looked more like a bracelet wrapping around my forearm, was lighting up like a glow-in-the-dark sticker.   
But... That's not possible!  
I'd been in this class almost a year, nobody had my tattoo, so who?  
I quickly lowered my sleeve again, just in case anyone might see. I didn't want them to make a big deal over someone like me of course.   
A look out the window didn't show much more than the drifting leaves in the wind. A small cluster of men passed the school gates, but they didn't seem of any importance.   
Maybe it was just a... Mistake?  
That was probably it, something weird probably triggered it and the tattoo was mistaken. I exhaled before leaning back in my seat and brushing my fingers through my disordered hair. For a moment, they were hooked on a knot that was quick enough to break with a short tug. The odd burning sensation passed, but it still remained fresh in my mind as though it never left.   
It wasn't until I heard my name did I raise my attention off my tattoo.   
"Komaeda, hello, are you listening?" The person in front of me waved her hand before my face as she frowned. How long had she been trying to get my attention? I forced an awkward smile in her direction, quietly hoping I hadn't upset her.  
"Ah yes, of course. I'm sorry Hyoko."  
The small girl frowned more, her blonde pigtails dancing with her small twitching movements. Hyoko was rather small for a high schooler, a lot of people teased her for that, but I refrained from doing the same. As petite as she was, she was still an ultimate student, unlike me.   
This class of ultimates, I really didn't belong here. I'm here for one reason, and that was because I was lucky.   
That was it. That was my talent. Luck. Hardly a talent worth revering like the others.   
Hyoko released a huff and crossed her arms. "You weren't listening at all! What good are you if you can't even do that?" Before the girl proceeded any longer, the teacher interrupted with a small laugh. "Now, no need to be rude." Her soothing, playful voice was as calming and gentle as a mother's. Hyoko hesitated for only a moment before turning back around in her seat without another word. On the back of her neck, I could see the small cluster of stars that was her soulmate tattoo.   
"As I was saying," The teacher continued as though the conversation never happened, "We'll be having a new student arrive soon, so I decided we should throw them a welcoming party."  
Not one student waited to raise their hand and start bombarding her with questions about the newbie. I admit I was a little curious too but someone like me didn't have the rights to ask about them.   
"Is the student a boy or a girl?" One of the boys asked as his hand was selected. Before the teacher could answer, others began blurting out, talking over another like a massive beehive.   
"What's their talent?"  
"What's their tattoo?"  
"What's their name?"  
"Are they cute?"  
Eventually, as much as I tried to listen, their voices blended together into an excited mess of shouting. It was true, I wanted to know all those things too, but I shouldn't be allowed to question about another ultimate.   
As the teacher began to calm the class down, their voices died into chattering among each other, now too quiet for me to hear from my spot by the window.   
I was fine with that though, I was happy just being in the room, but without warning, the burning, and itching started again. I clutched my arm, trying to grab my marking as tight as I could from beneath the fabric. What was happening to me?   
"What's going on with you?" Hyoko's voice snapped with her smug tone before I realized she was looking back to me, eyebrow raised questioningly. Even as I opened my mouth to respond, I suddenly lost my words. I had to get out of here, what if everyone knew something was wrong with my tattoo?   
I raised my hand, removing it from my sleeve only long enough for the teacher to call me.   
"I need to use the bathroom, miss." My voice cracked but hopefully, she didn't notice the pain I was in. Was my tattoo vanishing? Did it hurt this much before it disappeared? As soon as the teacher nodded, I didn't waste a second jumping up from my chair and hurrying out of the classroom. Why did I hurt so much?   
What was going on? The tighter I clutched my arm, the more it hurt, but it seemed like the only thing I could do. It felt like my arm was melting.   
My shoes tapped against the halls, I felt the breeze of my quick pace flow through my jacket, but what I was most focused on was the pain in my arm. It almost made me think someone could have a voodoo doll of me. Though with my bad luck as well, it sounded possible.   
It was getting worse, I thought I was going to cry. Suddenly, I ran into something, or someone, that stopped me in my tracks. All at once, the burning stopped. What... Who...?  
My gaze was met with reflecting red eyes that seemed void of all emotion. Close... I quickly stepped back and bowed my head, silently begging to myself that I hadn't upset them. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention!"   
I silence befell the halls, a silence that didn't break, not even after I rose my head again and took a full look at the stranger.  
Red eyes as bright as rubies, redder than an eclipse, and long dark hair like he was draped in a blanket of midnight itself.   
I could see my own reflection within his orbs, and his skin was pale, as though the sun had not once kissed his skin. He was... "Beautiful..." Once I realized I had spoken that aloud, I quickly cleared my throat. Why did he not speak a word? And I couldn't see a single emotion on his face, it was like everything he felt was under a lock and key. He merely stood, watching me without a movement. The only thing telling me he wasn't a statue was the rare twitch of his eyelids when he blinked.  
"Ah, sorry again!" What was I doing? I moved passed him to head to the bathrooms, but I could feel his eyes on me even still. It was a funny thing, you always look away when you know someone is looking at you. I wanted to look back, but meeting his gaze? Perhaps I shouldn't. As I approached the bathroom doors not far off, I finally decided to turn back to see the stranger once more, but he was nowhere to be found.   
Who... Was he? I didn't see a soulmate tattoo on him either, but perhaps it was hidden. Those clothes he had been wearing, the perfect tie and sleek overcoat, like he was some sort of businessman... Perhaps it was hidden beneath that...  
I quickly shook the thought out of my mind. What on earth was I doing? I only saw him for a minute so why was I thinking like this? I really am a loser after all.   
The bathroom was utterly silent, quiet enough to hear my own breath. The lights still off, drenching the bathroom in a cloud of shadows. My fingers grazed upon the walls until I felt the light-switch. As I flipped it on, the dimmed bulb flickered, barely giving the room enough light to see a few feet in front of me. For a high-class school, they really have poor lighting here, don't they? Well, it didn't matter much, perhaps I was just being unlucky again, which would make sense.   
Now that I was alone though, I rolled up my sleeve to examine my tattoo carefully. The designs looked intricate, unreadable to all... Except for maybe cavemen. But that was to be expected with such markings. Born with them, they glow, they react, it's like they're alive. Soulmate tattoos have been drawn in the oldest of civilizations, but nobody really knew what they are.   
Which right now, was rather annoying. Why was it doing that? Why suddenly stop hurting? But it was like it never happened. My tattoo looked the same as it always did. Perhaps... Maybe my tattoo was as much of a loser as I was. It really was made for me!  
Still... How useless of it...  
Before I left, I took a final look in the mirror. I didn't even look like a fellow ultimate student, but that was to be expected of course, with the sort of talent I have.   
My hair has always been untamed like it was now. An unattractive mess that made it seem I dragged myself in from the streets. Who would like someone as horrible as me?   
Once I turned my back from the mirror, the lightbulb suddenly cracked, and the room was shrouded in darkness once more.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
You're kidding me? That guy I met in the halls... He was the new student!? The class surrounded him in the lunchroom, all with looks of brilliant admiration. Just by looking at him, I couldn't see anything that could possibly point out his talent. Even as everyone circled around him, gawking at his looks, some girls clinging to his arms, he didn't seem the least bit phased. In fact, he looked rather bored and tired while getting his ear talked off.   
"Alright, everyone!" The teacher clapped her hands, making the room quiet down. "Let's not crowd him, we're supposed to be having a celebration, remember?"  
A few disappointed students released his arms, allowing the stranger to sit down at the lunch table as they made their way to the kitchen where the others who were not as entertained by him were already making lunch for the rest of the school. It was odd though... Why make such a big deal over one new student at school? Of course, he was an ultimate so some commotion was expected, but to feed the entire school, including the reserve course, just who was he? I didn't even know a name and half the class was fawning over him.   
Even the way he sat was with a sense of grace. His long hair coated him like a protective cover, shoulders drooped and relaxed, and his face... Those shining eyes that seemed far off into the distance, lost in a place unknown to anyone.  
I didn't realize I was staring until I felt a touch on my shoulder and looked up to my teacher, standing beside me with a soft smile. "I didn't assign you any work, now did I?" She gazed around the empty cafeteria before clapping her hands, a sparkle in her eyes. "Would you mind bringing the first meal to our new student? Make him feel welcome, please."  
I gave her a nod but after she moved away, I swiftly felt a sense of nervousness set in. Make him feel welcome? Someone like me?  
After a heavy exhale to calm my racing heart, I made my way to the kitchen across the cafeteria. The instant I opened the doors, hot steam rushed past, requiring me to cover my face. What was going on?   
The panicked yelling of other students and a crash of metal on the ground almost made me afraid to see what was happening.  
As the steam cleared, the sight of the class rushing about the kitchen like scared cockroaches made me feel almost disbelieved. The ultimate cook was here, how could ultimates be acting in such a way?! It had to be because of my bad luck, that was the only explanation for such behavior from the symbols of hope.   
One of the girls pulled the lid off a bubbling pot, once again creating a foggy cloud of steam that flooded the kitchen.   
And almost in an instant, I thought I saw something blitz passed me. I barely had time to process a thing before the mess had been repaired before my very eyes. The rest of the students looked just as amazed as I felt looking about the kitchen. The near exploding pot simmered calmly and plates of finished food lined the countertops.   
There he stood, the dark stranger, looking just as calm as always.   
He was so fast... There was no way!  
It only took moments before the students were crowding around him once more.  
"That was amazing!" A redheaded girl clung to his arm. "What's your talent? What does your soulmate tattoo look like? Could we be matching?"  
For the first time, he spoke, a voice so soft I thought my heart would stop.   
"I don't have one. As for my talent, boring."  
The girl pout before releasing him. "Don't have one? Did it vanish?" Her voice dripped in curiosity with a hint of disappointment.  
He shook his head, the raven locks crossing over his face. "Never had one."  
"You were born without one?" Another girl's eyes widened. "What's your name anyway?"  
It was certainly weird, who wasn't born with a soulmate tattoo? Didn't everyone have one?  
Pondering about it, my tattoo suddenly began to itch again and without considering, I moved my sleeve up to idly scratch.  
The male kept silent to her question, closing his eyes instead as though he entered a gentle sleep right there.   
It almost seemed like an eternity, but really, it was perhaps only a minute before those eclipse eyes opened once more, and I found myself looking directly into them. He blinked, then without warning, stepped away from the girls. "Is there something about your tattoo bothering you now?" He spoke so softly before me, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was a ghost. As I lowered my eyes to my arm, it was noticeably red from my scratching, but my tattoo was fully visible to everyone in the room.   
At least it wasn't doing anything... Weird right now. Unable to find my words, I shook my head. A strange emotion reflected through the male's eyes, one I couldn't read. What was going on in his mind?   
Actually, why was he speaking to someone like me at all when half the girls in class found themselves entranced by him?   
"Tell me your name." A voice stern as a warrior, and soft as an angel, and it was directed at me.   
Me, the absolute garbage of the class. Maybe I was lucky after all!  
"It's..." His eyes were locked onto me, as though he were reading my very soul. I found myself having to look away. "I'm Nagito Komaeda. I'm sorry, I'm always so rude when we talk!" I forced out a laugh but he didn't have any reaction.   
What a loser I am, making a fool of myself for the second time in front of the new ultimate student.   
"Do you want to know my name too!?" A girl called from behind but was met without an answer.   
In an attempt to break the tension, I turned back to the counter and picked up one of the food plates to quickly offer it out. "You probably don't have any reason to accept it out of the hands of someone like me, but would you like to have the first meal in your new school?"   
My heart... Why was it beating like this? And the burning on my arm... The burning was starting to come back.   
For a moment, I thought I could see the dark male twitch but he didn't show any other reaction as he reached a hand out to accept it. "I am Izuru Kamukura, that is all you need to know."   
One of Izuru's fingers grazed mine after he muttered his name, and at that moment, he could have been a bolt of lightning. The simple touch as he took the plate charged up my arm like an electric shock. The sudden feeling caused me to drop the plate and all at once, the food was on the ground, overturned in a big mess.  
Izuru appeared oddly calm as he looked down to the mess, but when he looked up to meet my gaze again, a wave of shame washed over my body. What's wrong with me?   
A silence broke out across the kitchen, I could only feel all their eyes on me. Was the new student not upset with me? The expression as he looked down to the mess was nothing less than empty. The tension was interrupted with the teacher clearing her throat behind me. "Is everything alright?" She wondered in her ever so tender voice.   
As I turned around, she seemed to force a smile but her eyebrows furrowed, giving away her worries.   
"Fine." The dark male suddenly spoke, eyes raising off the ground to match the teacher's gaze. For a moment, it seemed like she was at a loss for words, her lips parting as though she wanted to speak but something stopped her. After a minute, she finally tore her bright orbs away from the encounter. "Anyhow, I'll be back. There's some trouble down at the office. You kids have fun, I'll be back soon!" With a small wave, she gave another smile and hurried off, heels tapping against the hardened floor.   
Trouble?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

The setting sun melted the sky into waves of purple and red. Even as the sun set after school, I could still feel the warmth tingling up my skin.   
The rest of the day wasn't nearly as terrible as breakfast had been, thanks to the Ultimate Chef stepping in to get another meal but...  
What happened to me today? What was this feeling inside me? Perhaps I'm just going crazy, that has to be it.   
Even now, I thought I was hearing things.   
Tapping, echoing all around me.   
No... That wasn't my imagination. What was that?   
Ere I turned around, something rough gripped my coat. I didn't have the chance to wiggle out of their grasp, not before being thrown to the hard cement.   
"It's time for payback." A boorish voice spat, and then drove their shoe on my back, overpowering me to stay down. I... I don't remember that voice. What was going on? Was I going to be kidnapped, killed, sold for organs? No, that's silly, nobody would want the organs of miserable trash like me.   
"That's right, wherever you go, there's trouble. But the tables have turned now, haven't they?" Another voice chimed in with a chuckle. I heard a shift, then a hand burrowing into my hair. I could only wince as they pulled me up, and a pocketknife was held at my neck.   
The person holding it scowled as he squatted. "All you ultimate students are pains, but you're the only one to be so annoying. You must be a demon. That's it. Would anyone's tattoo vanish if I were to do it?" I felt the blade press against my skin, yet, I felt no fear. "You remember us, don't you? We've been trying to find you all day after all." The second man crossed his arms, standing above me to block out the last remaining sunlight of the day. "You came into our store last week carrying your bad luck. It's because of you the power short-circuited and started a fire, isn't it? Just admit it already!"  
These people weren't worth my time at all. Merely angry gangsters looking for someone to accuse everything on.   
Not hopeful, not talent, just worthless scum, even worse than me.   
The blade was suddenly lowered from my neck only for the man to grab my arm. I didn't struggle, there would be no point in doing so. He cut my sleeve with an ear-grating 'rip' and exposed my soulmate tattoo.   
"How about this?" He simpered with the rise of an eyebrow. "We cut this off you, and you'll never find them. You'll never know if your soulmate dies, or if you've found them, the rest of your life will be spent in an agony of wonder. Now that sounds even better than killing you!"  
No, what do I do, how do I-?  
He ascended the knife above his head, holding my arm in the most unpleasant of death grip. I assumed my circulation was cut off, and I couldn't move. When I tried to pull away, the second man held my shoulders, digging his fingers into my skin.   
I couldn't resist a painful yelp as he dug directly into a sensitive point above my collarbone.   
They wanted to cut out my tattoo? I wanted to scream and fight back, but I couldn't find my nerve to move a muscle, and my voice caught in my throat.   
"Say something, will you? Do you feel nothing!?" The man behind me kicked my back, but at that moment, the pressure lifted off me.   
A crash thundered in the alley beside us, and one look over revealed Izuru, standing beside the trashcan the attacker had been thrown to.   
When the second man released me to hold the knife to his defense, I didn't waste a moment to scramble to my feet. What was he doing here? After I made a fool of myself in front of him today, why was he helping me?   
The first man hoisted himself out the trashcan and ran for the midnight ultimate, fists raised to attack.   
Izuru dodged the attack and turned back to easily slam a kick into him, throwing the man into the brick wall as though he were a rag doll.   
The second proceeded to lunge, knife exposed. It was a brilliant fight to watch, but can I really stand around and do nothing?  
They were familiar... Of course, I had seen these men before. They were all the school gates, weren't they? And the trouble the teacher had to take care of, they've really been trying to track me down this whole time, these guys were serious about wanting to hurt me. I had to help Izuru somehow!  
The man gave a swipe with his knife, only barely grazing the cloth of the Ultimate's suit before being kicked back as well.  
And then a noise.  
Any normal person would have been knocked out from that kick, but the man still crawled to his feet and shout something I didn't quite hear but all too easily understood what it meant as more men hopped off the roof of the buildings, all carrying knives or poles.   
"You've... Got to be kidding!" I scanned around for something to help fight with but there was nothing unless the lid of a garbage can could take out a group of men with weapons.   
"For an ultimate lucky student, your bad luck pissed off plenty of people" Izuru coolly fixed the cuff of his sleeve, as though the group wasn't surrounding him.   
"We can't fight that guy. Don't you know who he is?" The raised whisper of one of the men caught my awareness.  
"Obviously not. Grab the hostage. He won't dare hurt us then."   
It was apparent to tell they meant me, and at first instinct, I tried to run. And then shattering pain.   
Pain that forced me to drop and cling my knee while trying to hold back tears. The man that beat my leg chuckled and put down the pole before reaching his arms out to grab me.   
I felt in a daze like I wanted to throw up, but the feeling passed as quick as it came. The man pulled me back up and my eyes met Izuru's ruby ones.   
An odd look crossed his face, one that was recognizable as negative.  
The men closed in on him, and as one raised the pole to hit, Izuru caught it like it was nothing but a fly. It was ripped out of the gangster's hands before turned back against him, striking into his stomach and throwing him back. As he hit the dirty ground, the man vomited before groaning in pain and clutching his abdomen.  
Another attack with a knife, which was as easily disarmed as the last attacker.   
And then multiple charged at once, catching Izuru off guard. I had to recoil as the blades ripped through his clothes and skin, blood dripping, staining his perfect suit red.   
The man holding me up hollered in laughter as another kept a knife pointed at me. That's why... Is he really not defending himself now because I was being threatened?   
I wanted to yell out not to worry, but with the knife directed at me, I found myself forcing silence.   
We met eyes once more and doing the only thing I could think of, I shook my head.   
"Don't hold back for scum like me, protect yourself." I wanted to say. "You're the hope of the future, I'm nothing. It doesn't matter if I die if it's to protect you."  
But then Izuru stood up straight and held his arm, burrowing his fingers through one of the holes that had been cut.   
Then... He ripped off the bottom of his sleeve. What... Was that?  
A tattoo? That's not... That's not possible!  
As soon as I looked at it, it began to glow a warm green, stopping the men in their tracks.  
My arm warmed and looking over, my matching tattoo glowed just the same.  
So that's why he came to protect me, why he seemed so interested... Because we're soulmates. He saw my tattoo back in the kitchen!  
"Shit." One of the men spat. "Kill him already!"  
It almost felt unbelievable to have found my one soulmate in the world, and to have it be such an amazing ultimate student-!  
"No way, awakened tattoos are strong. It's not worth it." Another man dropped his weapon and began to run. This warm feeling my tattoo was giving me, it felt like a safety blanket wrapped around my entire body. The man holding me released, and I fell, still in pain from the hit. He took off along with the others. The final man standing grit his teeth and swung his pole in Izuru's direction, only for it to be grabbed mid-air and thrown to the side. The gangster hissed something under his breath before taking off with the others.   
After they were gone, silence fell across the alley. Izuru exhaled a puff of air and dropped to a sit.   
Why did he suddenly look so exhausted?   
The smell of blood was overwhelming, and I couldn't find the willpower to stand again, yet I was... Happy. Izuru's breathing became the only thing I focused on, I didn't realize I was holding my own breath until my chest hurt.   
Minutes passed as we took time to recharge before he rose his head again, and I could see his brilliant ember eyes.   
"You are my soulmate." He muttered, holding up his arm. The band was finally dying down on the glowing, and I could see it had changed some.   
A look down at my tattoo told me the same; the band of markings around my arm that I had known since birth was changing. It sparkled with new life, clear as though I had been reborn.   
So that burning and itching... Was my tattoo telling me my soulmate was close? That was the only thing it could have been, I've been silly this whole time.   
I'm... So lucky.   
"You lied to the class about your tattoo." I tilt my head awaiting an answer, but Izuru looked away from my gaze with a moment's hesitation. After a couple of seconds, he huffed. "Their attention was boring, and so was the idea of a soulmate. But perhaps you're more interesting than I considered."  
I couldn't resist a small chuckle and leaned back against the brick wall. "Well, I was made for you after all." I couldn't resist feeling a bit amused. His voice was tender and still void of emotion, but what he said, this guy seemed... Innocent in a weird way. Like a child in an adult body. Still, it made me wonder.   
I pushed myself off the wall to sit up straight, unable to contain a wince as I felt my leg shift, "What's your talent, by the way? I still don't feel like I understand anything at all."  
Izuru exhaled a gentle breath and rose his eyes to the sky. The sun was drawing ever closer to darkness, stars already twinking their first lights. This was... Peaceful, in a weird way.  
"Hope." He suddenly muttered, pulling my attention back to the ground.   
My confusion didn't last long as he struggled to stand up and make his way to where I sat. As Izuru leaned down, his long hair swept across the ground like a blanket of shadows.   
"You can call me the Ultimate Hope if you so desire."  
That felt almost... Unbelievable. I wanted to open my mouth and start asking questions, in fact, I almost did before his finger pressed against my lips, ushering my silence. "Seeing as you are my soulmate, we have plenty of time to learn the answers to our questions, wouldn't you say? For now..." He lowered his head again and carefully touched my knee. Even that was enough for me to bite back the pain.   
"It was a hard hit." The Ultimate Hope muttered, as though he could read my mind. "Fractured, of course. But you will be alright." For half a moment, he turned his head away as though he were thinking something, but a thought intruded my mind.   
Looking at him now in front of me, he wasn't quite as intimidating as I had thought before. Certainly, I still shouldn't touch him. Soulmates or not, this person in front of me was an ultimate student, and not just any Ultimate. Not worthy at all for someone like me!  
Still, I found myself reaching out anyway. He didn't move as I felt my fingers across his wrist.   
Skin as soft as clouds... Something wet grazed my hand and I quickly recoiled. Looking down, there I could see red glimmering yet almost unseen in the darkness. "You're... Bleeding a lot. Why did you do that for me? I didn't even know we were a match until-!" As my eyes crossed his face, I could see Izuru's eyebrows furrowed in thought.   
"Can't explain it." He finally mustered. "Despite considering you boring, I think I felt something." He placed a hand over his own chest. "Within me. Perhaps I was..."  
"Drawn to you?" Did he feel the same way I did? Could that be because of the marking's influence or something else? When we met eyes, I couldn't help smiling back.   
"Tell me," He finally spoke again after a moment. "They attacked you. Why?"  
I pushed myself to sit up a little straighter. The brick wall dug into my shoulders but it didn't hurt as much as I would have expected. Uncomfortable, perhaps. "I'm called the Ultimate Lucky student but I'm not really all that lucky. When I have bad luck, it affects everyone around me, and lots of people try to hurt me because of that." I had to avert my eyes from watching him. What if telling him this means he didn't want to be around me anymore? What if seeing me like this means-  
"Ultimate Luck." He interrupted my ideas. "I can't say I'll be affected then. Seeing as I have that talent too." Without warning, his arms around me felt warm and I felt myself being lifted off the ground.   
I wanted to cry out as my leg shifted but I bit my lip to hold it back, feeling the skin nearly breaking. I couldn't help it as my fingers buried into his tattered clothes, but the way he held me was soft anyway. "Where are we going?" I finally mustered my words as he began walking down the dark city streets. At first, Izuru didn't respond, but then I felt his warm breath on my shoulder before he answered. "To get you help, of course, Komaeda. I can't very well spend time with my soulmate when his leg isn't in walking condition."  
Why did that... Make my heart speed up? What was this person? Who was this person?  
To be the Ultimate Hope, to have Ultimate Luck as well, what else was he hiding? What answers will I find out? Holding him now, feeling his heartbeat as he clung to me, I really didn't deserve this at all.   
Still, it felt like I was the luckiest person in the world at that moment.  
Only five percent of people in the world find their matching soulmate, and mine just happens to be the most amazing person ever.


End file.
